After the Engagement Was Broken Off, I Was Pursued by Peerless Holy Maidens - Chapter 60:

Chapter 60: Truly Worthy of Being Your Grandfather’s Grandson:

Xia Feng’s mother stood beside him, her eyes brimming with joyful tears as she tightly held both of his hands.

“Good job, son! I never imagined you’d become this strong. Even nine Martial Emperors combined couldn’t defeat you! You’re truly my son, truly the grandson of Emperor Prince Tianming!”

She was genuinely proud. Ever since Xia Feng’s grandfather passed away, Xia Naiwen hadn’t felt happiness like this in years.

For all this time, he had forced himself to bury the pain deep inside and endured life in silence. It was only when Xia Feng was born that things began to improve, even if only slightly.

But today, he finally released all that pent-up frustration. Watching Xia Feng battle those nine Martial Emperors in the sky and strike them down one by one, he felt an overwhelming sense of pride and vindication.

“Father…”

Sensing the emotions surging within his father, Xia Feng said nothing. He simply opened his arms and embraced the man tightly, letting him vent everything he had been holding back.

Yes, it had been so many years. His parents had always lived cautiously, constantly on edge.

But why should they?

His grandfather had done nothing wrong. That damn old—

A flicker of anger burned in Xia Feng’s eyes, but he quickly took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

An incense stick’s worth of time passed before his father and mother finally let out all their emotions, and Xia Feng was able to gently pull himself free from his father’s hug.

“Father, Mother… I only left six of the Martial Emperors alive. The three imperial domains will surely send more to retaliate.” Xia Feng looked into the distance with furrowed brows.

He wasn’t worried about enemies coming for him. What he feared most was that they’d use his parents to threaten him.

His parents were both Martial Kings, with his mother slightly weaker—just a 4th-stage Yellow-Grade Martial King.

If a Martial Emperor came, or even a low-level Martial Lord, there was no way the two of them could resist.

Just thinking about that made Xia Feng deeply uneasy.

He was strong enough now to protect himself from imperial forces—but what about his parents?

Xia Naiwen seemed to sense what Xia Feng was thinking. After all, no one knew a son better than his father—especially one he had raised himself.

“Son, you’re a Martial Emperor now. Enemies could come knocking at any moment. If your mother and I stay here, we’ll only drag you down.”

“It might be better if we leave first. If we head north through the Eastern Wilderness Forest, we can reach the borders of the Rizhao Empire in fifteen days.”

“Once we’re there, we can hide. When you’re powerful enough…”

“No!”

Before his father could finish, Xia Feng interrupted firmly and decisively.

“There are countless spirit beasts and vicious creatures in the Eastern Wilderness. That region borders several nations, and it’s basically lawless. All sorts of criminals wanted by the empire—escaped convicts, outlaws who have nowhere else to go—are active there. Father, I won’t allow you two to risk that journey!”

It was no joke. Traveling through the Eastern Wilderness to reach the Rizhao Empire was like walking into a death trap. One moment of carelessness and you could be torn apart by a powerful spirit beast or killed by some criminal hiding out in the borderlands.

Even Martial Emperors had to be cautious when entering the Eastern Wilderness.

And his parents were only Martial Kings!

“Son, I know,” his father sighed. “But if we stay here in Xingyu City, we’ll only become a burden to you.”

“On the other hand, if we go to the Eastern Wilderness, there’s at least a slim chance of survival. You’d be free to move without worrying about us, and when your strength grows, you can come find us.”

Xia Feng’s mother wiped her tears and gently held her husband’s arm, trying to appear relaxed.

“Don’t worry, son. We know the route through the Eastern Wilderness. Your grandfather left behind a map. We’ll be fine.”

“We’ve been through so many hardships over the years—this won’t stop us either. Listen to your mother, don’t be stubborn.”

Xia Feng clenched his fists tightly, his eyes turning slightly red.

Was it because he wasn’t strong enough?

Because of his weakness, his parents were willing to risk their lives, traveling to a near-death zone with nothing but their Martial King strength?

Damn it! If only his parents could train in the dream realm like him!

Wait…

Xia Feng froze. The dream realm?

These past days, he had been cultivating alone within the dream realm. But could he bring others in with him?

When the ten supreme Holy Maidens came to see him before, they’d mentioned some things that happened in the dream with him.

Although Xia Feng couldn’t remember clearly…

Did that mean the Dream Pearl might work on others too?

The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. His breathing quickened.

“No need to go. No need to go to the Eastern Wilderness! I have a way!”

He turned around, stepped forward, and grabbed his father and mother, speaking with excitement, “Father, Mother, I might have a way to rapidly increase your strength!”

“This way, you won’t be helpless if enemies come to us again!”

“Increase our strength?” Xia Naiwen looked puzzled, then shook his head. “Son, your mother and I don’t have much talent. Even after all these years, we’ve only reached Martial King level. We’ve been stuck at this bottleneck—breaking through to Martial Lord would take hundreds of years.”

“No, it won’t take hundreds of years. Trust me!” Xia Feng shook his head and spoke with unwavering determination.

Xia Naiwen and Xia Feng’s mother exchanged glances, unsure of what to say.

But thinking of how fast Xia Feng’s strength had grown recently, and trusting in their son, they finally decided to believe in him and give his method a try.

That night, Xia Feng brought his confused parents to sit in the main hall.

Neither of them had any idea what Xia Feng was up to.

All they saw was Xia Feng closing his eyes, his brows furrowing tighter and tighter, sweat trickling down from his forehead.

Inside his sea of consciousness, Xia Feng focused all his mental power on the Dream Pearl.

“How do I bring someone in?”

A miniature version of himself, formed by his spiritual sense, stared at the Dream Pearl and rubbed his chin, thinking hard.

He tried channeling spiritual energy to activate the Dream Pearl, hoping it would link to the two people outside.

But the Dream Pearl remained motionless.

Half an hour passed quickly.

Xia Feng was beginning to panic.

No matter what he tried, the pearl remained perfectly still, spinning quietly in his sea of consciousness.

He took several deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down.

He began recalling how he had entered the dream realm before.

He would close his eyes, fall asleep, and picture the setting and events he wanted in his mind…

Once he entered the dream, everything would unfold like a program he had already set.

If that was the case, did it mean he couldn’t activate the Dream Pearl while awake?

Thinking this, with no other options left, Xia Feng stopped hesitating and began relaxing his mind, trying to force himself to fall asleep.

Outside, Xia Naiwen and his wife grew more and more anxious as they saw Xia Feng’s breathing becoming erratic, his body tense, sweat pouring down.

They didn’t know what technique their son was trying to activate, but from the looks of it, it seemed incredibly painful.